Crossing New Bridges

Adella reminded herself not to baby him, she really wanted to but had learned that didn’t work best with Andre. He was a big boy and she didn’t need to treat him like he was five, but she was still going to take care of him. She didn’t care about getting her clothes wet, it wasn’t difficult to just change them after she was done tending to him. If he hadn’t been stubborn and gotten in the shower without her instruction then she wouldn’t have to get in the shower in the first place. She gave him a look when he scolded her “Don’t Adella Louvel me, Andre Louvel” She shot back at him before starting to help clean him up.

She frowned when he hissed in pain but ignored it and kept going, just wanting to get it done quickly so he could get bandaged up and into bed to rest. She listened to his explanation as she cleaned him up and checked his wounds then quickly looked at him when he mentioned he was cursed and gave him a gentle look “I am not stuck with anything” She told him seriously then kissed him “And you’re not cursed” She touched his face “You were protecting me and the baby. You did what any man would do and that’s to take care of his family.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb and gave him one more kiss before resuming to tend to his wounds.

She shook her head, still not agreeing with his statement “No. Stuck is negative. I’m not stuck with you. I choose you. I want to be with you” The word stuck reminded her at the beginning of their marriage, when she felt miserable and heartbroken, like an innocent prisoner locked up in jail. But now she no longer felt like she was trapped here or with him and she didn’t want him to think that way either that she felt like that anymore. Once his wounds were cleaned to tossed the rag on the floor to throw away later then smiled when he told her he loved her. She felt the same, every day they spent together just brought them closer together and more in love.

She stepped out of the shower carefully with him and when he went downstairs she went and opened the first aid kit on the bed and took everything out before changing out of her wet clothes, trying off some and slipping on a robe and tying it loosely. When he returned and mentioned the appointment she frowned. She had forgotten about it “Are you sure you still want to go after all this?” She was truly concerned about him, he needed to rest and heal, but she also wanted a escape goat from going. She quickly went over when he sat down and sat beside him “You’re a stubborn old man…” She grumbled, sighing heavily and began to bandage his wounds herself before he attempted anything more.

She sighed, having hoped he’d feel crappy enough to agree they shouldn’t go, but apparently he didn’t feel bad enough. “Yes you are” She muttered and gave him a unhappy look as she finished bandaging him up. Ugh, a doctor…she hoped he knew this was the first and last time she was going to go see a stupid doctor. She was just doing this to appease him, but she would not be pleased to have to keep seeing a doctor often. If the baby was alright then she felt there was no need for a doctor down the road again. She gathered the left over bandages and placed them back in the first aid kit before putting it back in its place then returned to the bed, giggling when he pushed her back against it.

She grinned at him, shaking her head slightly against the bed “Only you” She whispered with amusement. Only Andre would get into a huge fight, kill a man, and then be kissing and playing around with his wife in bed. She laughed when he pushed her robe open, bringing a hand up to trace along his jaw as he touched and kissed her. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle affection. “If you keep this up neither of us will sleep” She opened her eyes and gave him a playful look before she suddenly gasped and sat up, looking alarmed. She touched her stomach, blinking and looked down with wide eyes, pausing for a few moments before she gasped again ”Andre!” She said loudly, looking to him “He moved!”

She just…hadn’t been expecting it. This whole time she kept waiting and waiting and waiting to feel just the slightest flutter of the baby and she hadn’t. It had been driving her mad and had been dreading to go see the doctor and have him tell her that her baby was dead inside her. The movement had come so out of the blue, such a foreign feeling she had never felt before that it had kind of creeped her out until she realized what it was. She laughed at his reaction, though she looked guilty as she did it. She hadn’t meant to scare him but…it had freaked her out too!

“Sorry! Sorry but…but he moved! He moved Andre!” Her eyes were lit up as she grinned at him “The babies ok!” Oh she was relieved…if the baby moved then that meant he had to be alright. When Andre put her hand to feel she wait very still then frowned when nothing happened “I just felt him! I did, I felt this little…I don’t know, like this odd little bump or something…” A few moments after she spoke it happened again, like a little hiccup within her belly and she lit up again “There! Did you feel it?!” She was brimming with excitement and she gave him a big kiss “He’s ok!”

When he felt the baby she was so excited she could have jumped up and down…you know, if she hadn’t been five months pregnant. Once he had felt the baby she shifted to straddle him, putting her arms around his neck and give him a million kisses from her happiness. But his question made her stop and she frowned, glancing down and she bit her bottom lip “I…it just…he hadn’t moved and I…I was worried he might be…” She couldn’t finish it, but it didn’t matter because the baby was fine now. He had moved. He was alive. She sighed and met his gaze again “I didn’t want to worry you. You were dealing enough with this, two wolves thing I didn’t want you to worry about the baby if I wasn’t sure he was alright or not”

The baby kicked one more time than a second bump before he went quiet again. Adella rubbed her stomach gently, trying to encourage more movement but that seemed to be all the little baby would be doing that night. She laid back in bed with him and cuddled close, smiling and feeling elated. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to sleep now, now that she had felt the baby move. “I love you too” She told him happily. Everything was going to be ok….now she just had to face the stupid doctor in the morning.

She shook her head and put her fingertips against his lips “No, don’t do that. You always want to blame yourself and it isn’t your fault. You’ve been struggling and its fine. I just didn’t want to worry you, that’s all” She then lowered her fingertips and smiled with a nod “I’ll tell you, I will. I promise” Everything? She just hated to burden him and she bit her bottom lip, contemplating. Well, she had something she wanted to discuss with him now but…no, no, not now. Poor man was tired and he needed rest, he really did, now was not the time to bring up discussions. She could mention it later, if he still was insistent about her telling him everything tomorrow.

“Mmm, goodnight Mr. Louvel” She returned with a smile before closing her eyes. She did fall asleep, not a deep one, but she did rest with her hand on her stomach all night, just to make sure if the baby moved again she would feel it. She felt though that just when she was falling into that deep sleep she heard the alarm. Her eyes opened and she looked around groggily before rubbing at her eyes then turning her head to look back at him “Andre…Andre wake up” She said, turning to start nudging him.

When he refused to get up in the morning, well, she wasn’t surprised. He was a big sleepy bear and he had a rough night, of course he didn’t want to get up…and quite frankly, today? She didn’t care. She simply smiled sneakily and shrugged some “Ok” And laid her head back down to sleep. If he didn’t want to get up, well, what could she do? Nothing. Oh too bad, they’d have to miss the appointment. She closed her eyes and started to drift back asleep, not feeling any shame that she wasn’t waking him up, she’d deal with his anger about it later. But apparently today wasn’t her lucky day, because he got out of bed and saw the time and started rushing around. She sighed and looked up, pouting. Dang it, she was so close.

It was like pulling teeth as she got out of bed and shuffled off to the bathroom to get ready. As he ran around like a headless chicken, she took her pregnant little time brushing her teeth and hair and getting dressed and grabbing some milk to drink for breakfast. She walked outside and down the porch towards the car, giving him a look “I’m carrying your giant child, this is as fast as I can go” Ok, she could go a little faster but she was dragging her feet and being grumpy about the doctor. She got into the truck and nestled into the seat, pouting as she sat there and traced idly on her belly. She was not a happy camper this morning.

She gave him a look when he warned her she was only five months along “Are you going to pamper me when I’m stuck in bed then when I’m super fat with your baby?” She said with a small hint of a smile on her lips. She knew things were going to be very tough from now on, for she was aware she was only five months pregnant and she was struggling far more than she figured normal women carrying normal babies at five months struggled with. Werewolf children were difficult to carry, her mother had mentioned it once to her that carrying Adella had been harsh on her body but Adella was prepared…she hoped.

She was quiet on the trip there, obviously not excited and doing everything to show it, but when he cracked his joke she smiled and started laughing and from then she was a bit more relaxed….a bit more, enough that she wasn’t sitting there pouting and pissed at least. Once they were inside, she put on her critical glasses and examined everything with her gaze intently and was behaving like if she touched anything she’d be diseased. She was thankful though that he held her hand and she squeezed it tight, watching him as he filled out paperwork, wondering why he even had to do that. Couldn’t they just go back and see the doctor and be done? She didn’t understand all this hoopla.

She looked up when she heard the nurse and gave Andre a nervous look before standing and following him and the nurse to the back. She gave her a thin smile to answer her question, not bothering to hide the fact to the nurse that she wasn’t happy to be here today. She sat down tentatively when they entered the room, pursing her lips as she glanced around at all the random items and made a slight face before her focus snapped back to the nurse as she asked questions. She nodded to the first question then pointed to Andre “He made me” She said simply and let Andre answer the rest of the questions as she sat there like a freaked out statue.

She frowned “No…I am not” She said plainly, not wanting to beat around the bush, she wanted them to know she was not happy about being her “I felt the baby move. He’s fine” If the baby was moving then he was alive and healthy, so she really didn’t get the point of Andre insisting they still come here. Of course it was only that one time but still. He was fine and she didn’t want to be here being examined by some stranger. Respectful of her wishes? If that was true, than the doctor wouldn’t touch her to begin with…but this was just Adella being grumpy and hormonal at the moment. When the nurse left she sighed and kept a hold of Andre’s hand, continuing to stare around the room before the doctor came in.

She eyed the woman as if trying to search for something wrong with her so she could tell Andre no way and have a reason, but she couldn’t find anything. “Hello…” She murmured softly, shifting where she sat. She opened her mouth to answer the doctor about the ultra sound, but stopped and looked to Andre when he answered so quickly. She smiled and laughed, shaking her head at him and raising his hand to kiss it before looking to the doctor “Yes” She said, nodding. She knew a little about ultra sounds from what she had read, but still felt uncertain about them. She put a hand on her belly and gently rubbed it “But I know it is a boy” She added confidently

Her face crinkled in confusion and she shook her head. Chinese what what? “Uh no I just…know. It’s a boy” She said and looked to Andre with a smile. She would have a son and finally do something right by giving her husband a proper heir. Adella let the doctor help sort her out to do the ultra sound, but the whole time she kept looking to Andre with a frown. The jelly placed on her stomach made a grossed out expression appear on her face “This won’t hurt the baby?” She asked nervously, biting her bottom lip. Technology…she didn’t like technology, especially not when involving her baby. But when she looked at the screen and saw the image of the baby….she was hooked in.

She gasped and sat forward “That’s him?!” She exclaimed in amazement, her eyes wide. She could really seem him! It was a bit unclear and kind of like a blob but still that was her baby! She looked to Andre, her expression priceless “I can see him!” She wasn’t expecting to…to see him like that! She was hypnotized and was so absorbed she barely even heard the doctor point these out, she just couldn’t take her sole focus on watching the little blob of her baby on the screen. She did however hear the mention of the one month and looked to the doctor with a frown, ready to argue this was to be her only appointment no matter how fascinating this was…when she dropped the bomb.

“A girl?!” She gasped, staring at the screen then to the doctor “But…” It couldn’t be a girl. It couldn’t be a girl. It had to be a boy, she was so certain it was a boy…”But…but it’s not certain right? It could be wrong. It could really be a boy, right?” It had to be wrong, it had to be wrong. She looked to Andre and frowned further at his expression, looking nervous “I...I’m so sorry, Andre. I was so certain it was a boy, I really thought it was…I’m so sorry”

She felt terrible. She had been so sure it was a boy! She had hyped him up with her certainty of a boy. He had bought blue paint expecting a boy. He had been so eager and excited for a boy….and now it was a girl. She was afraid he’d be upset and disappointed and heartbroken and took at her with confusion of why she had lied to him about thinking it was a boy. His surprise scared her, because she couldn’t tell if he was excited or mad, but his expression didn’t seem happy or relieved. It was just thrown. Why was she sorry?! “Because you wanted a boy so badly” And now she had failed in giving him what he wanted. His first wife had given him two boys and now she was the wife giving him a girl.

She searched his face “You’re not upset?” She bit her bottom lip, frowning still. He had to be disappointed…he hadn’t exactly hid his desire for a boy all that well, but of course she hadn’t helped. There he went again about only caring if it was healthy…she thought he was a giant big fat liar. She stayed silent however as the doctor wrapped things up, staring down at her belly and sighed. When the doctor left she looked up and started apologizing again “Andre, I really, really thought it would be a boy. I did. I’m sorry. You don’t have to pretend like it’s ok” If he wanted to get mad at her or show some frustration or disappointment, she wanted him to get it out now while she already felt shitty for misleading him.

She didn’t think anything of it from what she said. In her village it was a normal, horrified reaction to have a girl when you knew your husband wanted a male heir (and in her village it was actually needed, not wanted). She didn’t understand that whatever frustration he felt was because she had made him look like a brute husband infront of the doctor, not because the baby was a girl. When he got snappy she frowned and pouted at him, lowering her gaze for a moment and still uncertain whether his behavior was because of something else or the baby girl. Was he lying or telling the truth? Her delicate personality couldn’t really tell right now.

She did want a girl, she had told Chloe she did, but Andre had been excited for a boy so she had quickly changed her mind. “But you bought blue paint…” She gave him a soft look, still feeling bad. But she nodded to him wanting to go home to sleep, for what else could she do. She slipped off the examining table bed and steadied herself for a moment before looking up to him, quiet as her mind reeled over the fact they were having a girl. A little girl…she couldn’t believe it. She had so really thought it was a boy all this time. Why had she been so wrong?